TM: I don't think anyone has a clue. I'm not a big
believer in the Internet per se. I acknowledge that it's something
people are using and it's here to stay. But do I think it's going
to revolutionize everybody's life like everybody's talking about?
Nope  til somebody builds the blueprint of what it's supposed
to physically do and [how] it's supposed to unify everybody. I think
its a terrific informational place. I think it's like an electronic
library. Any information you want, you'll probably find it there,
which is terrific. It's got some Flash stuff. But I think the entertainment
part of it is completely out of whack. I think everybody's delusional
of what they think they're going to get out of it.

It's insane. You've got people spending fifty million bucks to
develop a Web site, so they could put some streaming down, so that
Hollywood might take a look at it and turn it into a TV show or a
movie. You know what? You can take that fucking fifty million dollars
and make the movie yourself. It seems like a long way to go to get
to where it is you want to go. Just go straight! You're taking the
long way around here.

And given the advent of cable that took us away from the network,
it went from five channels...three channels when we were kids to
practically fifty. And now what are we going to do? Go get our entertainment
on the Net where there's 50 million. You kidding me or what? I mean
if anything, the downside of having variety...is that kids don't talk
to each other like you and I did. When there were only three channels,
you and I watched every show the same. I bet, if I asked you, and
you said Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch and
The Partridge Family and Fred Flintstone and ad nauseum,
you and I would have to have a long conversation...We could even sing
the theme songs together. But now there's so many channels it's so
hard to find somebody on your own block that watches the same program
you watch.

Hottest Toys in TownAfter Spawnwas released in 1992 and became an instant success,
the premier issue selling over 1.7 million copies, the toy companies
were all over McFarlane trying to license his dark but extremely popular
action hero. Upset by the deals the corporate toy giants were trying
to cut, McFarlane started McFarlane Toys. Like Marvel Comics, neither
Mattel nor Hasbro took McFarlane seriously, but since then McFarlane
Toys has captured a significant share of the market. Encouraged by
his success, McFarlane started a second toy company, McFalane Design
Group, which licenses an incredible array of popular action figures
that it distributes along with McFarlane's own creations.

If his relationship with corporate toy makers has been something
less than cooperative, that has not been the case with corporate Hollywood.
Originally, McFarlane wanted to do Spawnas an R-rated animated
feature. However, he wound up producing the PG-13 live-action movie
that New Line Cinema had insisted upon. Later, he produced his R-rated
animated version as an HBO series. Does he feel that he had to back
down to get the movie produced?

TM: To make people understand how you make a transition
from comic books to where I wanted to go [with Spawn],then
you had to take it in steps. We wanted to create an audience base
at PG-13, and I agreed to it. So, it wasn't a back down, but it actually
works out okay because the follow up script that's in development
for the sequel is R-rated. So, I had to take one step before I could
go there. It's actually the second movie I wanted to go [as an R-rated
feature]. But the first one was sort of to build the audience, tell
the origin and get all the Chapter One stuff out of the way. And then
in movies two through ten hopefully, you don't have to talk about
Superman's from Krypton anymore.

And what about Spawn,the character? Just a cool, dark super
hero from hell with no social commentary or is there?

TM: I think there's a lot of social commentary there.
But, again, if I gave you my thesis paper on Spawn,most people would
go: "Well, I really don't get that when I read the book."
The answer is I don't really believe you should be using your character
and your ideas to put your political views out overall. But, Spawn
is a guy who's got a chip on his shoulder -- not that unlike me. He's
doesn't like being bullied around -- not unlike me. And he's sort
of being controlled by people that are saying, "You're just a big
pawn in this game called Heaven and Hell." You could put corporate
America as either Heaven or Hell -- it don't make no difference really.

What he's saying is, "I don't care who's trying to control
me. I'm going to fight, and I'm going to be a free man." So,
if that means I'm politically incorrect, well, so be it.